Marty and I were assigned to be roommates through a random housing service.
The way it works is that you sign up with these people, list your likes and dislikes, tell them what your budget is, and they will find a roommate for you.
Marty owned a family-sized house, and had a mother-in-law suite with its own separate entrance. It was basically like a little house on his property, and it was a perfect fit for me! I was working retail at the time, and struggling to pay the bills. I noticed that Marty was doing very well for himself as an HVAC contractor. He made a lot more money than I did, while working fewer hours, because the base pay for an HVAC expert is miles above retail work. One day I asked Marty how I could get started in the HVAC industry, because I was desperate for a better job. He sat me down and gave me a long talk on the best way to be successful and make money in the HVAC business. Unless I was content to be a secretary or administrative assistant, I would need to get my HVAC certification first. There were a lot of good office jobs in the industry, but they didn’t pay as well as the HVAC expert positions. In order to start a career in the industry I would need to get my HVAC certification, which required taking some night classes and passing a major exam. I will have to invest a lot of time, money, and energy if I am serious about becoming an HVAC tech.